A new approach to guest ID verification

While verifying a guest's ID might seem routine, it's a crucial safeguard against fraud, security breaches, payment chargebacks and legal liabilities in general. To be compliant and contain liability, hotels must ensure that every guest is who they say they are. And this isn't just a procedural requirement; it's a fundamental responsibility to protect the integrity of the hospitality industry.

Balancing bliss and burden: the art of managing guests' IDs

Verifying guest IDs is essential in the hospitality industry. While it might add to the check-in process, the benefits outweigh the costs. It helps prevent unauthorized access, identity theft, and financial fraud, ensuring a safer and more secure environment for guests and hotel staff.

ID verification laws differ depending on the location. Hotels must collect and maintain guest information to comply with these laws. Failure to do so can result in fines, legal action, and damage to the hotel's reputation.

ID verification also enables hotels to enhance guest experiences through personalization. By leveraging guest data, hotels can tailor services to individual preferences, offer targeted upsells and cross-sells, and create more meaningful interactions.

However, despite enhancing security and personalization, storing vast amounts of guest data can put hotels at risk of costly data breaches. In 2023, MGM Resorts fell victim to a cyberattack that resulted in over $100 million in losses. The attackers exploited a social engineering vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to MGM's systems and steal sensitive guest information.

To balance ID verification with data privacy, hoteliers should prioritize solutions that minimize security risks while protecting guest information.

Streamline guest data management with decentralized ID verification

In traditional ID verification, hotels are responsible for collecting, storing, and protecting sensitive guest data, such as names, addresses, passport numbers, and credit card information. This data management burden can be significant, requiring hotels to invest in robust security measures to prevent data breaches and comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

Decentralized biometric ID verification offers a solution to alleviate the data management burden for hotels. In this approach, hotels avoid storing sensitive guest data centrally, such as passport scans or biometric information. This eliminates a significant liability, as such data can be misused for identity theft. Instead, hotels perform a robust identity verification process and collect only the essential data needed to provide room keys. The hotel retains proof of identity verification and necessary information within its Property Management System (PMS), but not necessarily the full document scan

Moreover, whenever a guest authenticates, biometric data is encrypted and stored in a distributed way such that only the user device can perform the face match – i.e., by design, it is impossible for the hotel to check if a certain picture belongs to a guest. When guests check in, a simple look into their mobile phone verifies them and their identity credentials, either for online check-in or even at the front desk. This eliminates the need for hotels to collect, store, and protect sensitive guest information – both biometrics and document scans – significantly reducing their data management risks.

Eliminating the need for hotels to store and manage sensitive guest data significantly mitigates the risk of data breaches. Decentralization aligns with emerging privacy regulations, ensuring that guest data exchanged is minimized and remains under their control. This protects both the hotel and its guests from potential identity theft, financial losses, and reputational damage.

Also, decentralized biometric ID verification enables a faster and more seamless check-in process. Guests can authenticate their faces to their own mobile phones, eliminating the need for manual data entry or verification. This improves operational efficiency and reduces wait times for both guests and staff.

Hotels can streamline their administrative tasks by minimizing the need for data management, storage, and protection. This frees up resources for other critical areas, such as guest services and customer satisfaction.

It’s a matter of trust

Embracing decentralized biometric ID verification opens up a world of possibilities for hotels, offering a flexible and easily integrated solution that keeps up with the ever-evolving technology and security landscape. This approach is designed to cater to hotels of all sizes, from charming boutique properties to global budget chains or well-known luxurious brands, providing a scalable solution that can expand alongside the hotel's growth.

Ensuring a robust ID verification process is crucial for data security and fostering trust with guests. By prioritizing guest data privacy, implementing transparent security measures, and promptly addressing concerns, hotels can create a seamless and trustworthy check-in experience that prioritizes their valued guests' safety and peace of mind. With this approach, hotels can confidently adapt to new security standards while providing guests with a welcoming and secure environment.

Pedro Torres
CEO and co-founder
Youverse